International Pilot's Day: The stories of three Argentines working in the air – 07/04/2019

Today & # 39; hui April 7 is the International Day of the Aeronautical Pilot. Installed since 2010, this date was chosen to coincide with the first meeting of the IFALPA (International Federation of Air Line Pilots) which was also held on April 7, but in 1948.

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This entity is responsible for promoting and improving the role of professional pilots, a vocation that brings great contrasts. On the one hand, it is not easy to become an airplane pilot Commercial Training in Aviation and Air Transport It's offbeat. When a license is used and the actual flight hours are added, the next step of the race is used. In addition, the costs are usually high.

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But once the pilots have managed to fit into the world of work, they enjoy a very special life. By "live in the air", most emphasize the lack of routine as one of the great benefits of work, in addition to the fantastic view that provides them with the daily skies and of course, the most important: fly to a machine as impressive as majestic, the plane.

The aircraft manufacturer Airbus estimated that the total demand would be 540,000 new pilots, only about 50,000 for Latin America, over the next two decades, the race will continue to grow.

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In Clarín we tell you the history of three Argentine pilots who fly around the world, in companies and with different lives, but with the same pbadion: planes.

The first Latin American woman with a Captain's diploma at American Airlines

Linda Pauwels is from Argentina and it's become the First American American Airlines with a Captain's Diploma. He was born in San Pedro in 1963 and, at the age of six, after the death of his father, he moved to the United States with his brother and his mother who, at the age of six, age 88, still working at the Miami International Airport.

Linda said that when she was a teenager, she wanted to devote herself to medicine, but at 16, she went to Miami with the idea of ​​staying a summer and got a job at the university. Miami airport. By maintaining a link with the cabin crew, his interest in aviation grew and it was the gateway to not return to Argentina and develop his pilot work.

But of course, Linda was complicated because the race is expensiveI had no contact and it is a woman. While she never felt discriminated against because of her badHe said that he had to insist a lot on getting his first job because they only took men. But both insisted that he had the chance to interview him and eventually joined a Canadian airline.

The lack of money led her to have three jobs Get together and make lots of friendly instructors who helped her count on the number of flight hours needed for the race.

At age 25, Linda became the youngest woman to command a commercial aircraft.. Then, in 1988, he managed to join the American Airlines pilots' squad, where he continues on his way and where he was responsible for various models.

Thanks to your efforts, in 2000, she became the first Hispanic Captain at American Airlines. In addition, today, he also plays check aviator (supervisor or flight instructor) of the Boeing 787.

Last time, she was responsible for the company's inaugural flight between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires, which connects her a bit more to her home country, since she currently lives in Miami.

The "chief pilot" of airlines that has changed the menu of planes

Emanuel Zarlenga is a pilot of Aerolíneas Argentinas and, before entering the company, He developed a career as a chef. One day, their two pbadions met and a project was born to improve service and experience on board pbadengers of the company.

"Today, I cook well when I fly and I fly well when I cook," Zarlenga joked.

Emanuel started flying very young accompanied by his pilot father. At the age of 16, he had already obtained his license and shortly thereafter he founded a small airline. But he did not stay alone with that He continued to study for an "emergency plan". He was received as chief and, over time, what looked like a "Plan B" became his specialty. His career was clear: finish a training in France and gain experience in haute cuisine international.

So He has worked with renowned chefs who have received several Michelin stars and explored the most exclusive kitchens of different restaurants around the world. In fact, he had 300 cooks in charge. Back in Argentina, he joined the kitchen of the Four Seasons Hotel in Buenos Aires and the Llao Llao Hotel Resort in Bariloche.

But already with several goals fulfilled in the gastronomy and before a new call of pilots to Aerolineas Argentinas, decided to return to his first love: aviation There he entered directly.

On those trips, the longer and where more meals are served, he began to observe the limitations that exist in the plane to prepare or serve a dish. "I started thinking about how to get the" plane feeling "from the plane's food"Emanuel affirmed.

Here's how the project was bornBlue Door Emanuel": The chef, in collaboration with the Travel Experience area, has elaborated a new gastronomic proposal for pbadengers.

Emanuel He designed practical meals, but rich and healthy. "In tourist clbad, for example, instead of a tray containing many items, we want to give a paper bag with a good bakery product and a coffee to take away.This would give the pbadenger the opportunity to sleep a little longer and consume it on the way down from the plane, if he wanted to, "he said.

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Proposal includes two-step cooking processes to finish cooking vegetables and meat on board, which preserves the flavor and consistency, reduce the impact of the dry environment and altitude.

At the end of the flight, Commander Zarlenga checked not only that his pbadengers had a comfortable flight, but also a nice menu.

The first pregnant driver in the LATAM business

The flight experience of Andrea Gonçalves, co-pilot of the LATAM Argentina Boeing 767 fleet, started in California, United States, at 25 years old.

"I did my studies to obtain private pilot license, instructor, commercial instructor and flight in an airport called Reid-Hillview (KRHV), where I had piloted different types of aircraft, from Cessna 152 to King Air 200, "says Andrea He added:" I loved giving instructions on the use of two engines and taking the plane for Lake Tahoe, an area of ​​ski centers where people go on weekends "

But to get the line transport license that I needed more experience and more flying hours. "That's why I joined a work team that flew from "traffic monitoring" for the CBS News news network; I flew over the area and various highways with a reporter who reported traffic every 8 minutes live, "recalls Andrea.

With this license, he began working at American Eagle, a regional American Airlines company. He was based at LaGuardia Airport (New York) and flew one-way or JFK flights to destinations in Canada, Dallas, North Carolina, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago, Las Vegas, in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

"I had the chance to acquire a lot of experience operating in these places with a great diversity in terms of meteorology, cold weather procedures and high complexity airports, "he explains.

In one of Argentina's trips to visit her parents, Andrea remembers a flight to Bariloche with LAN Argentina (today LATAM) in which "I was surprised at how I proposed to return to Argentina work in the company. "

In 2010, he achieved the long-awaited goal and, along with another colleague first female pilot of the company. Andrea was first officer of the Airbus fleet 320 until 2017 and, in April 2018, he joined the Boeing 767.

Andrea has also received a psychologist and hopes to be able to contribute one day to aviation from there.

In the middle of her career, Andrea had two children aged 6 and 3 years old.

"I was the first pregnant driver in activityand with many expectations because it was the first time that the company had accompanied such a situation. He exceeded my expectations, "he says adding that her husband is also a pilot with which the flights are a constant challenge for the family organization

"I love what I do, I love what I do and I feel privileged to be able to do what I love.", concludes Andrea.